10 K-Pop Songs That Electrified 2024: From RIIZE’s “Impossible” To KISS OF LIFE’s “Igloo”

K-pop's broad influence continued to expand in 2024, as the juggernaut industry fastened its commercial and cultural grip on a global scale.

Releases from genre stalwarts continued to gain traction, from record-breaking albums like BTS member Jimin’s "Who," to viral phenomena such as BLACKPINK’s Rosé and Bruno Mars’ "Apt." K-pop groups also achieved headlining sets at major U.S. festivals, such as Stray Kids' Lollapalooza Chicago performance.

It was also a year where beloved artists pursued creative freedom. SHINee’s Onew and Taemin, EXO’s Baekhyun, Chen, and D.O, and BLACKPINK’s Lisa and Jisoo each departed longtime agencies, founded their own labels, or joined new organizations. NewJeans’s ongoing dispute with ADOR, and fromis_9 and Loossemble's recent contract terminations reinforced that trend, showing that artists are willing to make daring moves for fairer work conditions.

As usual, a new generation of promising boy groups and girl groups emerged, with the latter dominating the spotlight — ILLIT, Artms, Izna, Babymonster, Meovv, and Rescene are just some of the names to watch in 2025. And lastly, new music from luminaries like IU, BTS’ RM, SEVENTEEN, and the return of BigBang’s G-Dragon with "Power" (his first release in over seven years) proved that K-pop, like great wines, only gets more refined with age.

To celebrate this busy year, check out the list below with 10 of the coolest, most innovative K-pop songs of 2024 — listed by order of release.

RIIZE — "Impossible"

As SM Entertainment’s latest boy group to debut outside of the NCT multiverse, RIIZE are following the path that made other groups from the company (most notably SHINee). True to their name, the group soar with a vivid discography that brings the best out of old and new sounds.

"Impossible" only came out in April as part of their first mini album, but it burst through the K-pop soundscape like a timeless classic. Propelled by a house beat straight from the early 2000s, the track revs up and never lets go. Hopeful, wistful, and soaked in the "impossible" eagerness of youth, its fizzy enthusiasm will quench your thirst.

Girl group aespa prefaced their first studio album and its title track, "Armageddon," with the stupefying "Supernova." Meant to be just an appetizer of the LP’s sound, the track was so deliriously addictive that soon became its main jewel — "Supernova" topped charts in South Korea and Hong Kong, went viral on TikTok, and lifted aespa to a whole new artistic tier.

"I'm like… some kind of supernova," leader Karina announces in the beginning of the song, echoing the intro of one of their most distinctive hits, "Savage." Dashing through cybernetic synths and spoken witty verses, you’ll feel breathless by the first chorus — but wait until Afrika Bambaataa’s "Planet Rock" sample starts at the dance breakdown for full euphoria.

Kep1er was formed through Mnet’s 2021 trainee survival show "Girls Planet 999." While they were initially intended to be a temporary group, they decided otherwise in 2024. This year, seven of the nine original members renewed their contracts with labels WAKEONE and SWING Entertainment.

As a sweet goodbye to their original lineup, Kep1er released the most compelling single of their careers so far. "Shooting Star" blends synthwave with angelic vocals and a larger-than-life message, foreshadowing even better things to come. As Yeseo, one of the members who left the group, sings, "Starlight glitters towards me /With you, I'm not afraid of this ending."

It’s been 10 years since SHINee’s Taemin debuted as a soloist with "Danger." Since then, his meticulous artistry and boundless vision have been a blueprint for the industry — a superstar who is both instantly recognizable and ever surprising.

Taemin is all about the push-and-pull of sin and redemption, of being seen and wanting to hide, of seasoning every pleasure with a pinch of Christian guilt. "Sexy in the Air" — the lead single from latest EP, August’s Eternal — wholly represents those themes, but it’s the pulsing electro funk of "Crush" that best encapsulates Taemin’s power. Here, he captures the tempting moments before a physical encounter and heightens them into a dark, stealthy, and irresistible voyage.

Formed through Mnet’s 2023 survival show "Boys Planet," ZEROBASEONE is, so far, a temporary group set to disband in January 2026. Although renewals are possible, they are not guaranteed, which permeates ZEROBASEONE's releases with a bittersweet taste.

The best display of that feeling came via August’s "Good So Bad." A spiritual successor to their debut hit, 2023’s "In Bloom," the single revels in lush synths, upbeat melodies, and a hint of nostalgia. It’s a sound that fits the nine-member ensemble like a glove, bringing forward their boyish charms and outstanding synergy. While there’s still another year ahead for ZB1, "Good So Bad" offers a strong argument to keep them together for much longer.

One of the most arresting debuts of 2024, RESCENE have been nailing track after track with gorgeous vocal colors and magical, airy melodies. "Love Attack" starts boldly with the call "I am all you need / I am all you need," but soon swooshes into a Swedish pop chorus that makes you feel like floating up in the sky.

"This is the most kpopiest [sic] song that has ever kpopied in a while and I just wish they would get more recognition for it," says one of the top comments on the YouTube video for "Love Attack." If you wonder what "kpopiest," or even "K-pop" means, give RESCENE a listen, and see why they are poised for stardom.

Every year has its motto, and if 2023 was ruled by (G)Idle’s "Queencard /I’m hot /My boob and booty is hot," 2024 was the year of LE SSERAFIM’s "All the girls are girling girling." Off the latter’s fourth EP, CRAZY, this disconcertingly catchy title track also pays homage to ballroom culture in true K-pop fashion.

From name dropping Pikachu and Galileo, to proclaiming "Act like an angel and dress like crazy" in the chorus, to an odd choreography that includes Sakura duckwalking, this is the kind of performative folly and buoyant panache that we need to see more of in 2025.

"Dangerous" could be just another insipid track if it wasn’t for BOYNEXTDOOR’s charisma. The quirky beat is an immediate attention grabber, but it’s the sextet’s clever raps and deadpan comical lines that do all the heavy lifting in this pre-release off their third EP, 19.99.

When hip-hop and boy groups are nearly synonymous in K-pop, BND have found a way to stand out simply by being themselves. Don’t be startled by the "Mom and dad should not hear this song" introduction — the idea of danger and rebelliousness for these young men is harmless, and therefore deeply relatable. As Leehan sings, "I'm just immature /Pulled an all-nighter yet again /Just here making memories /My youth is my shield."

BAEKHYUN — "Pineapple Slice"

Beautiful things happen when an idol takes the reins of their career — and "Pineapple Slice" is one of them. After a two-year hiatus due to his military enlistment, EXO extraordinaire BAEKHYUN returned to found his own label and released his fourth EP, Hello, World.

Carefully chosen to be the lead single of this era, "Pineapple Slice" is as BAEKHYUN as it could be: sweet and sour, mysterious and bubbly, gloomy and bright. As with previous solo work, he finds himself in R&B melodies, with vocals that effortlessly steer the song wherever he wants it to go. Add a dash of spice and some Michael Jackson inspiration, and here’s his most exciting single so far.

2023 debutantes KISS OF LIFE had a remarkable first year and a half, bringing back second-gen K-pop with "Midas Touch" and heating up summer with the steamy "Sticky." However, it’s the b-side "Igloo," off their third EP, Lose Yourself, that takes the crown on this list.

In less than 3 minutes, the quartet take ubiquitous trap beats and spin it into something truly enticing. While the melody mimics a sauna’s stuffy atmosphere (or would it be an igloo on fire?), they sing-talk temptations like "I can melt an igloo, yeah, 'cause I'm so dang hot," and "To me, it's another year, to you, it's all you worry about." It’s the kind of song that requires a specific "cool girl"-ness to work — one that KISS OF LIFE embody with charisma to spare.